Talisman (29 page)

“
Yes!
  You won’t believe what was hanging in my closet!  Apparently, I have a
Fairy God-Father!
  Just hurry.  I’m going to jump in the tub.”  As I hung the dress back on the closet door, I noticed my little golden topaz didn’t appear to be as sparkly in the light of my bedroom.

Maybe I need t
o shine it up with a quick salt-soaking?

“Ka
tie, does your mom keep any sea-salt in her pantry?”  Katie’s mom, Julia Stowell, was one of the best cooks around.  Unfailingly, the television at their house stayed tuned to any of the numerous gourmet-cooking shows on the Food Network or the Cooking Channel.

“Yeah…
Why?
” Katie asked, confused.

“Grab some and bring it over,” I insisted impatiently.  “I’ll explain when you get here.”

“Will do,” Katie agreed.  “See you in a sec!  Bye!”

“
Hurry up!
  Bye!”  As I ran down the hall to draw a hot, steamy bath, I thought,
Never would I have dreamed when I woke up this morning that I’d be this excited to get ready for a dance
—
even one with a date like Mike Riverside!

Chapter  8  —  Revelations

Katie arrived
just as I was getting out of the tub. 
I hope she remembered to bring everything
, I thought as I heard her racing up the stairs.  My best friend kept a treasure trove of various cosmetics in a hot-pink case that sat on her vanity. 
She probably just grabbed it and split
.

“Knock, knock,”
Katie called out as she tapped on the bathroom door.  “Are you decent?”

“Yes,” I answered as I slipped into my robe and opened the door.  Immediately, I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the hall to my room.

“What’s got you so
psyched
all of a sudden?” Katie questioned.  “Don’t tell me that you’re actually excited about spending an evening with
Mike?
”

“Not
exactly,
” I replied as I locked my bedroom door.  Katie had a curious, but confused look about her.  “You’d better sit,” I ordered as I pushed her down on my bed.  “Actually, I’m excited about
this
…” I ran over to my closet and whipped out the garment bag.

“
Lavish?”
Katie questioned.  “I thought your dress came from a consignment store downtown.   When did you buy something from Lavish?”

“
I
didn’t,” I replied enthusiastically as I flung the card over to her.  She read it silently.

“
OMG!
How sweet!
” Katie cried out.  “I guess it’s only fitting you have the best father in the world, since you’re stuck with the world’s worst mother.” 

“True,”
I agreed with a proud nod.

“Open it up and let me see i
t!”  Katie urged, sounding just as excited.

I absorbed Katie’s expression as I revealed the magnificent little
black dress.  It was like looking into a mirror.

“It’s
gorgeous!
” Katie squealed.  “You’re going to look
soooo
hot!”

I slipped the dress over my head
, still hanging from its ivory satin hanger, and turned towards my full-length oval mirror.  Katie walked over to where I stood and gave me a hug. She cocked her head and studied my reflection like a discriminating art critic.

“
Boy
, I sure have my work cut out for me,” she announced dryly, shaking her head.

I pretended to be offended and let out a fake gasp.

“Good thing I have a
great canvas
to work with,” Katie assured me with a laugh and then got right down to business.

The next hour was spent drying, s
tyling, and setting my hair.  Straight or in a ponytail was the scope of my styles.  Katie talked me into letting her use the hot rollers she’d brought along.  Once they had cooled, she yanked them out and started teasing it vigorously.  I
half
-joked that I didn’t want to look like I’d stuck my finger in a light socket.  I just wanted to be “on record” with that one.  Katie eventually had it all combed out and styled to perfection.  She passed me a large hand mirror and instantly, I was left speechless.  I never knew my straight dark-blonde locks could ever look this luxurious and thick.

“Do you like it?” Katie asked hesitantly.

“Oh, yeah…I’m just
amazed
,” I replied.  If the jewelry shop didn’t work out, she would have a career as a hair stylist waiting for her.

“
Good
.  Then let’s set it.  Cover your nose and mouth,” Katie requested as she sprayed my new “do” with a fine mist of hairspray.  Whatever was in that can remarkably added a shiny gleam to my hair and brought out the remaining strands of my fading summer highlights.

“Let me see your nails.  H
ands
and
feet,” Katie demanded, sounding like a drill sergeant.  She looked down at my feet and shook her head in disapproval.  Then I extended my hands for her inspection.

“
Yuck!
  Those won’t do.  What have you been doing?  They look
horrible
,” Katie grumbled.

“I told you
that I helped Ms. Sutherland today.  I’ve been wrapping, packing, and carrying boxes for the past several hours.  You know, there’s a lot more work involved with helping someone move than there is in unlocking a display case at a jewelry store,” I teased.

Katie let out a silly, arrogant,
“Ha,”
and went straight to filing.  She glanced over at the golden topaz ring submerged in a glass jar on my bedside table.  We’d mixed up the solution of sea-salt & water before she had started on my hair.

“I still can’t believe Beatrix Suther
land is moving.  I figured she would be one of those old timers who hung around and died right alongside Welch,” Katie commented.

“She just told me
that it was her time to move on.  I think it’s good for her,” I replied casually.  Katie finished buffing my fingernails and then started on my toes.

“Well,
I’m not staying around here the rest of my life…regardless of what my parents have planned.  If blind old Beatrix Sutherland can get out of here, then there’s hope for me, too. 
I promise you
…
My body
will
NEVER
see the hallowed West Virginia earth!” she vowed adamantly.

Once
Katie had finished buffing my feet, she picked up the jar and gave the ring a scrutinizing stare.

“
My parents
have never used
sea-salt
to clean any of their jewelry.  Just pre-made cleaners and occasionally a little Windex…
Weird
.”

If she thought that was weird, what would she think about the actual “bestowing of the ring
?”
 
Granted, the sea-salt thing was “different” and her mention of moonbeams was truly “odd”, but what she’d said when she slipped it on my finger…Now that was straight-up “crazy”
.

Katie seemed obsessed with Ms. Sutherland’s gift.  “I still can’t believe she gave this to you.  It’s probably worth
around seven or eight hundred dollars.”

I smiled.  “Oh,
really?
”  I’d gotten the impression that Ms. Sutherland valued it for more than just a “monetary amount”.  Clearly, its worth was priceless — for sentimental reasons of course.

“
Hmmm
…I wonder if soaking my diamond in salt-water would work better than some of our cleaners?” Katie pondered aloud as she fiddled with her pendant.  She swirled the ring around in the jar and placed it back on the nightstand.  “I wonder where she bought it?” she questioned suspiciously.

“I think it’s an heirloom.  A
t least that’s the impression I got.”

Katie shook her head.  “Mom and Dad
have never really cared much for her.  You know, all those rings she wears…Not one of them came from
our
store,” Katie added, sounding a bit miffed.

“I’
m sure they were probably gifts or passed down to her,” I countered.  “How many jewelry stores have a huge patronage of ‘blind’ customers? 
Seriously?
”

Katie laughed.  “That makes sense…w
hen you put it like
that
.”

Katie dropped my feet
down onto the floor. “Okay, what color?”  She removed the top tray of her makeup case to reveal oodles of various colorful nail polishes.  I couldn’t decide.

“May I make a suggestion,” Katie interjected.  “How about this one?”  She pulled out an iridescent clear po
lish that had a golden sheen.  “It’s kind of neutral, but it’ll really show off your ring.”

She didn’t have to sell me on
it.  I nodded and watched as she gave the bottle a couple of good shakes.  Katie threw a set of foam dividers in-between my toes, and within minutes, all twenty of my nails were painted to perfection.  I turned my hands outward and gave the tips of my fingers a lengthy, warm puff of air.

“They look great, Katie.  You’re a
miracle worker
.”

“Those should be dry by the time I finish with your makeup
.  We don’t want any smudges on your nails…
or on that dress
,” Katie warned.

Katie positioned me
with my back turned to the vanity.  I thought I’d felt her stare lingering over my brows a little too long, and I was right.  She quickly snatched a pair of needle-nose tweezers out of her make-up case.

“These are called
tweezers,
” my BFF enunciated like a kindergarten teacher.  “You can use them for other things than just removing splinters.”

“
Really?
” I mocked with a set of overdramatic wide-eyes.  Katie swiftly started plucking away before I could voice my concerns.  I just sat there quietly and prayed for no nicks and at the very least, that they would be “even”.  After a vigorous wiping, she then pulled out several slender tubes of foundation and mixed up a concoction in her palm like a chef would an award-winning recipe.  She dabbed a small amount on my cheek.

“Perfect,”
Katie announced proudly.  In no time, she had whisked the creamy base over my entire face.  As soon as it had dried, she swirled a large brush around several times in a container and dusted my skin with a velvety powder.  Katie leaned back to assess her work.

“Now for the
eyes
,” Katie announced and then pulled out a large compact that looked more like an artist’s palette.  “I think we’ll go for
smoldering
,” my best friend cooed as she dabbed a small brush into various neutral hues — some light and shimmery, others dark and smoky.  She blended the freshly applied shadow with her fingertips and outlined my eyes with a soft black liner.  Then she twisted and twirled a mascara wand through my long lashes.

“Good thing I tweezed these brows,”
Katie giggled as she swept them with a dark blonde pencil.  I rolled my eyes and shook my head, only to be scolded with a whack on the shoulder and a, “Stop moving!  You’ll mess me up!”

“Can I look
now?
” I begged anxiously.

“
Not yet!”
Katie barked.  “I have to add some color to your cheeks and lips, silly.”

I think Katie was enjoying torturing me with the suspense.  She chose a neutral lip liner and guided the soft pencil around my lips with the precision of a skilled surgeon.  She swiftly filled them in a
nd grabbed a tube of lipstick.

“Sweet Cherry Pie,” Katie revealed as she brushed
on the color with a Q-tip. After a quick blot, she then topped off my lips with just a touch of sparkly gloss.  “Mike won’t be able to resist these,” she cracked.  I gave her a firm kick as I gently rubbed them together.

“
Now
, can I look?” I pleaded, my patience wearing thin.

Katie looked into my eyes, only to reply with a curt, “
No
.”  She whisked another brush over a matte coral powder and gingerly swept it across both of my cheeks.

Katie stepped back and smiled,
admiring her work in a way only an artist would.  She started to swing me around towards the mirror, but she stopped abruptly.

“
Wait
,” Katie halted.

“
What?
”

“Put your dress on
first
.  Okay? 
Just trust me
,” Katie encouraged with a wink.

Katie handed me the stunning little black
dress. I stepped into it carefully and then had her zip me up.  Thankfully it felt tight enough around my bodice that a bra wasn’t needed (which was a good thing because I didn’t own a strapless one).

She tapped
my shoulder.  “Don’t forget your shoes,
Cinderella
.”  Katie removed the black stilettos from their box and then set them down in front of me with a theatrical wave. I guided my feet into the towering heels
cautiously
.  Once Katie had pulled the taffeta ribbons into a taut bow, she hopped up and fished the golden topaz ring out of the jar.  She placed it on her pinky and waved it in the air as she handed it to me.  Slowly, I slid the dainty golden topaz on the ring finger of my left hand.  The strange words Ms. Sutherland had spoken when she’d placed it there earlier started to echo in my head.

“What about my class ring?” I asked.

“No. 
Leave it
,” Katie ordered.  “Class rings are so casual and common.  Just wear the topaz.  It’ll look more elegant by itself…After all, you’re going to a
dance
, not a
pep rally
.”

That was blunt
…
But I suppose Katie knows what she’s talking about
, I thought as I laid the “fake diamond” class ring down on my bedside table.